Method for decorating pottery



July 15, 1947. A, E, RADFORD 2,424,117

METHOD FOR DECORATING POTTERY Filed Aug. 3, 1944 I W f flZberZ l7. Rad/0rd Patented July 15, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE METHOD FOR DECORATING POTTERY Albert E. Radford, Canton, Ohio 7 Application August 3, 1944, Serial No. 547,960

4 Claims. (CI. 4132) The invention relates to the decoration of pottery and more particularly to the production of panel efiects upon service plates, dinnerware and the like.

The object of the invention is to provide a process for decorating high grade ohinaware and art pottery ata lower cost than by methods heretofore used.

Another object is to provide such a process by means of which a great variety of color schemes and patterns may be produced.

A further object is to provide a process of this character in which the same pattern may be reproduced with extreme exactness, any desired number of times.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a novel process and apparatus by means of which a variety of diiferent efiects may be produced by any one pattern.

Another object is to provide a process in which a form, of plaster of Paris or the like, is cast or molded upon the plate to be decorated and removed therefrom when it has set, the desired design being then drawn upon the form and cut out with a suitable sharp instrument forming a pattern or stencil; any desired color being ground. laid over the entire surface of the plate and after it has dried the stencil is placed upon the colored surfaceof the plate and with a stylus or other sharp instrument, the outline of the pattern or stencil is traced upon the colored surface of the plate, the stencil is then removed, the color is then rubbed off or removed between or around the design; outlines, leaving these portions of the plate uncolored.

A further object is the provision of such a process in which after the designhas been cut it may be ,cast or molded in metal or other durable material so that the pattern may be reproduced an unlimited number of times.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a stencil of the character referred to in which all of the edges of the pattern are out upon a bevel so as to permit the design to be more easily traced upon the plate or the like.

The above objects together with others which will be apparent from the drawing and description, or which may be later referred to, may be attained by constructing the apparatus and carrying out the process in the manner illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which;

Figure 1 is a transverse sectional View through a plate showing the form of the plaster of Paris or the like molded thereon;

Fig. 2 a bottom plan View of the stencil or pattern which is cut from the 'form;

Fig. 3 a top plan View of the pattern or stencil;

Fig. 4 a top plan view of a plate after the color has been ground laid thereon;

Fig. 5 a top plan view of the colored plate with the pattern in position thereon;

Fig. 6 a transverse section taken as on the line 66, Fig. 5 and Fig. '7 a top plan of the plate after the color has been removed Or rubbed off between and around the outlines of the design.

In carrying out the invention, assuming that it is intended to decorate the plate indicated generally at ID, a ring of cardboard or other suitable material as indicated at H is placed around the edge of the plate and plaster of Paris or similar material is poured upon the surface of the plate, within the said ring I I, as indicated at [2 in Fig. l, producing aform which conforms to the upp surface of the plate.

When this plaster of Paris form has set it is removed and the design to be reproduced is then drawn thereon and cut out with a suitable sharp instrument, producing the pattern or stencil indicated generally at l3 in the bottom and top plan views respectively in Figs. 2 and 3.

Although a great multiplicity of designs may be carried out with this process, for the purpose of illustration the pattern shown has the edges scalloped as at M and is provided with a scalloped opening l5 in the center. All of the edges of the a pattern, both outside and inside, are downwardly beveled as indicated at It so as to permit a stylus or other pointed instrument to be traced around the outline of the pattern or stencil.

The next step in the decorating process consists in coloring the entire top surface of the plate as indicated at I! in Fig. 5, this coloring being produced as by ground laying the color upon the plate with a tuft of cotton or the like, or by applying the color with a camels hair brush or by spraying or otherwise placin the color upon the surface of the plate.

After the color has dried, the pattern or stencil I3 is then placed upon the top surface of the plate, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, and the outline of the pattern or stencil is traced upon the colored plate by means of a stylus or other sharp pointed instrument.

The pattern or stencil is then removed from the plate and the color is rubbed off or removed between and around the outlines of the pattern, leaving the scalloped white or uncolored central panel l8 in the center of the plate and the uncolored scalloped border l9 around theedge of the plate, the colored design 20 remaining upon the remainder of the surface of the plate as shown in Fig. 7.

The plate may be fired in this condition or if it is desired to provide a floral design within the central uncolored panel 18, or a border design around the uncolored border 19 or both, suitable decalcomanias may be placed upon these portions of the plate and the same may then be fired.

If desired, after the plate has been fired, the outlines of the design may be traced in gold, platinum or the like, or if desired, the uncolored border portion IQ of the plate may be covered with gold or the like and the plate again refired. In this manner a great variety of effects may be produced with any one pattern.

In cases where it is desired to reproduce the same design a great many times, which would cause the plaster paris or similar soft material to be worn by tracing around the outline thereof so manytimes, after the pattern as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 is produced in plaster paris or the like, a pattern or stencil may be cast or molded from metal or other durable material and used an unlimited number of times for producing the same design upon a great number of plates or the like.

As an illustration of another manner in which the invention may be practiced, the pattern may be made in the manner above described and then placed on an uncolored plate and the outlines of the design traced upon the plate with an indelible pencil. The pattern is then removed from the plate and the outlines on the plate are covered with gold, platinum or the like.

If desired a decalcomania design may then be placed in the center of the plate or a border line may be placed around the rim of the plate, or a border design may be placed on the rim portion of the plate, or two or more of these operations may be carried out.

As an alternative, after the gold or platinum outlines have been placed upon the plate, gold, platinum or other color may be placed on the central portion [8 of the plate, or upon the scalloped border portion l9, or both.

I claim:

1. The method of decorating chinaware and I sign with a substance from the group consisting of gold and platinum, and then refiring the ware.

2. The method of decorating chinaware and the like which consists in coloring the entire surface of the ware to be decorated, then placing upon the colored surface a form shaped to fit the contour of the ware, said form being cut out around the outlines of the design to be reproduced, then tracing around the outlines of the form, then removing the form then removing the color from the surface of the ware around and between said traced outlines leaving the design of the form in color upon the ware, and then firing the ware, then covering an uncolored portion of the ware with a substance from the group consisting of gold and platinum, and then refiring the ware.

3. The method of decorating chinaware and the like which consists in placing upon the surface of the ware to be decorated a form shaped to fit the contour of the ware, said form being cut out around the outlines of the design to be reproduced, th'en tracing around the outlines of the form with an indelible pencil, then covering the indelible pencil outlines upon the ware with a substance from the group consisting of gold and platinum, and then firing the ware.

4. The method of decorating chinaware and the like which consists in placing upon the surface of the ware to be decorated a form shaped to fit the contour of the ware, said'form being cut out around the outlines of the design to be reproduced, then tracing around the outlines of the form with an indelible pencil, then covering the indelible pencil outlines upon the ware with a substance from the group consisting of gold and platinum, then filling in portions of the design between said outline with a substance from the group consisting of gold and platinum, and then firing the ware.

ALBERT E. RADFORD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 492,840 Scharling Mar. 7, 1893 1,134,571 West Apr. 6, 1915 445,241 Croskey Jan. 27, 1891 2,354,637 Ibach' July 25, 1944 515,507 Vollrath Feb. 27, 1894 1,868,230 Hardesty July 19, 1932 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 1,137 Great Britain 1874 804,063 France Oct. 15, 1936 

